Bertha Herse Collection, 1905-1960
Predominant Dates: 1905-1929
The Bertha Herse Collection consists of materials assembled by Herse and includes diplomas and certificates, student memorabilia, postcards, and photographs. Herse graduated from Oregon Agricultural College (OAC) in 1910 and worked in the OAC Library from 1910 until her retirement in 1957, with a 2-year break to complete a BS in Library Science at the New York State Library School.
Items from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.
ID: MSS Herse
Extent: 0.4 cubic feet
Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation: Bertha Herse Collection (MSS Herse), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
Acquisition Note:
The bulk of the collection was transferred from the Horner Museum Collection to the Archives in 1996. The letter from Ellen Crawford to Herse was donated to the Archives in 2003 by Carol Chin, who found it in a Corvallis house.
Container List
- Series 1: Diplomas and Certificates, 1905-1960 Add to Shelf
- Series I consists of diplomas and certificates received by Herse and documenting her high school graduation, degrees from Oregon Agricultural College, and library science degree from the University of the State of New York.
- UnitID: Series I
- Box-Folder 2.1: Diplomas, 1905-1910 Add to Shelf
- Item 1: Common School Diploma, 1905 Add to Shelf
- Issued by the State of Oregon Department of Public Schools.
- Item 2: Corvallis High School., 1906 Add to Shelf
- Item 3: Oregon Agricultural College Bachelor of Science in Domestic Science and Art., 1910 Add to Shelf
- Item 4: University of the State of New York Bachelor of Library Science., 1924 Add to Shelf
- From New York State Library School.
- Box-Folder 1.1: Oregon State Agricultural College Bachelor of Science in Home Economics., 1928 Add to Shelf
- Box-Folder 1.2: Oregon State College 50th anniversary of graduation from Oregon Agricultural College., 1960 Add to Shelf
- Series 2: Memorabilia and Correspondence, 1905-1930 Add to Shelf
- Series II primarily documents Herse's student years at Oregon Agricultural College and the years immediately following. Registration cards, lab receipts, grade reports, commencement programs and a student handbook are included. The 1905 commencement program may be from Corvallis High School. Of special note is a letter to Herse from Ellen Crawford describing her plans to attend library school and her work as a teacher in Laidlaw, Oregon.
- UnitID: Series II
- Box-Folder 1.3: Commencement Exercises program. May 29, 1905. Add to Shelf
- Perhaps for Corvallis High School.
- Box-Folder 1.4: Memorabilia Add to Shelf
- Item 1: Envelope of class registration cards, lab receipts, and grades., 1905-1909 Add to Shelf
- Item 2: Third Inter-Society Debate program. April 5, 1909. Add to Shelf
- Item 3: Military Commissions, Officers First Regiment for 1910-1911. Add to Shelf
- Item 4: OAC Quarter Centennial Celebration programs. 1910. Add to Shelf
- Item 5: Commencement program. June 13, 1911. Add to Shelf
- Item 6: Student Handbook for 1911-1912. Add to Shelf
- Item 7: Corvallis Business and Professional Women's Club Program for 1930-1931. Add to Shelf
- Box-Folder 1.5: Letter to Herse from Ellen Crawford. January 29, 1913. Add to Shelf
- Crawford describes her plans to attend library school and her work as a teacher in Laidlaw, Oregon.
- Series 3: Postcards, 1907-1914 Add to Shelf
- Series III consists of a postcard album and loose postcards; these include picture postcards and photographic postcards received and assembled by Herse. Some of the postcards include correspondence from family and friends, especially from Bertha's cousin in Nebraska, who encourages Bertha to write her more frequently. Many of the postcards have no writing and were not mailed. About a quarter of the postcards commemorate Christmas, the New Year, birthdays, and other holidays and special events. Another quarter depict Oregon scenes, including Portland, Corvallis, Eugene as well as views of the Oregon coast, the Columbia River Gorge, and other Oregon scenes. Of special note is a card featuring an Oregon Agricultural College (OAC) pennant. The remainder depict scenes of Nebraska, including West Point, Albion, Omaha, Lincoln, and York; Washington; and California. Several of the California postcards have images of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. Several of the postcards are in German. The album includes several postcards made from leather. The album is in marginal condition and needs to be handled with caution.
- UnitID: Series III
- Box-Folder 1.6: Loose Postcards. 1907-1914. Add to Shelf
- 32 postcards.
- Box-Folder 1.7: Postcard Album. 1908-1913. Add to Shelf
- 211 postcards.
- Series 4: Photographs, 1909-1950 Add to Shelf
- Series IV consists of photographic prints assembled by Herse depicting her family and friends and documenting her student years at Oregon Agricultural College and career as a librarian at Oregon State. Of special note are several images of Oregon Agricultural College Library staff in the 1920s and an interior view of the library in 1910 when it was located in the Administration Building (now Benton Hall).
- Extent: 21 photographs
- UnitID: Series IV
- Box-Folder 1.8: Photographs Add to Shelf
- Item 1: Bertha Herse's cousin Hilda. 1909. Add to Shelf
- 2 photographs. Portrait photograph on postcards with notes to Bertha.
- Item 2: Bertha's friend, Vlasta, 1909. Add to Shelf
- Portrait photograph on postcard with note to Bertha.
- Item 3: Bertha's cousin, Frank, and friend. 1909. Add to Shelf
- Portrait photograph on postcard with note to Bertha.
- Item 4: Interior of store in Albion, Nebraska. 1909. Add to Shelf
- Photograph of store interior on postcard from Otto to his brother Ludwig Herse in Corvallis, Oregon. Includes pianos, framed artwork, mirrors, chairs, and baby carriages.
- Item 5: Two women and man in front of farmhouse. circa 1909. Add to Shelf
- Unidentified; perhaps in Nebraska.
- Item 6: Junior Flunk Day. May 20, 1909. Add to Shelf
- 2 postcard prints. Images of the women and men participants in the Class of 1910 Junior Flunk Day activities.
- Item 7: St. Patrick's Day Party. March 17, 1922. Add to Shelf
- 2 prints. Library staff at a costume party in the apartment of Lewis and Branch. Both images are available online: view 1 and view 2.
- Item 8: Library staff at east end of Library building. spring 1927. Add to Shelf
- Back row: Bertha Herse; Evangeline Thurber; Lucy Lewis; Elzie V. Herbert; and Elizabeth Ritchie. Second row: Helen Treat; Louis Klock; Vina Mueller; Irma Nielson; and Josephine Morton. Front row: Lucia Haley; Fay Stahl; Marie Malmgren; Rose Robinson; and Helen Hotson.
- Item 9: Library staff on north steps of Library. May 28, 1929. Add to Shelf
- Back row: Minnie White; Marie Jackson; Nellie Harvey; Louise Wheeler; Lucy Lewis; Elzie Herbert; Elizabeth Ritchie; and Bertha Herse. Front row: Lucia Haley; Rose Robinson; Evangeline Thurber; Gertrude M. Suess; Gertrude Yunker; Marjorie Wertman; and Josephine Morton.
- Item 10: Library interior. 1910. Add to Shelf
- Library in Benton Hall.
- Item 11: Library (Kidder Hall) with bandstand in foreground. circa 1920. Add to Shelf
- Item 12: Library exterior view. circa 1950. Add to Shelf
- Item 13: Lower campus view. circa 1910. Add to Shelf
- Item 14: May Day pageant. circa 1910. Add to Shelf
- 2 prints.
- Item 15: Library staff standing behind desk. 1921. Add to Shelf
- Library staff for 1920-1921 (from left to right): Elzie Herbert; Josephine Abbot; Ethel Goudy; Nell Branch; Bertha Herse; Laurel Ganning; Lucy Lewis; Edith Hague; Lillian George; and Elizabeth Ritchie.
- Item 16: Unidentified group of women. circa 1920. Add to Shelf
- One of the women may be Helen Gilkey.
- Item 17: Unidentified group of women and men. circa 1920s. Add to Shelf
- Interior group portrait; perhaps other students at New York State Library School?